Narration only….This cover and title got me intrigued… and I loved this!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review. of this book was so good, brought the book alive for me and I easily followed the storyline. Listening to spoken word is one way I get through mundane tasks and as such I am prepared at times, to put up with a poor storyline. However, in this case I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and found myself choosing to do some simple tasks so that I could justify listening to more!

The Winter Killer by Alex Pine.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon and Alex Pine for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?"

A beautiful wedding and a missing Maid-of-Honour. As time goes on the bride gets increasingly concerned and realises something is very wrong.

I love the DI James Walker series. Alex Pine is a very talented author and is instantly able to draw the reader in.
This is another crime thriller which has blown me away. It is dark and utterly gripping.
I don't want to risk a spoiler but you will not regret reading it.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next installment.

This is the third book in the DI James Walker series but in my opinion it can easily be read as stand alone. A great murder mystery in which there are lots of twists and turns before we find out who the murderer is. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

The Winter Killer by Alex Pine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Christmas has arrived in Cumbria, and wedding bells are ringing.
But an ice-cold killer is waiting in the fells…

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, DI James Walker receives a phone call that puts paid to his Christmas break. During the wedding of the year at a lakeside hotel, the bride’s sister has vanished.

When Rachel left the wedding breakfast before her speech, newly-wed Libby was furious. But as the night went on with no sign of her maid-of-honour, Libby started to realise something was very, very wrong…

Before the wedding night is out, the lake is being searched for a body.

Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?

My Opinion

One of the first books I ever reviewed was The Christmas Killer and it was such an enjoyable book that every year I look forward to the next Alex Pine book being released. I have read all of the books in this series in order but I do believe that each could easily be read as a standalone as whilst there are some familiar characters the cases are not linked.

Pine has written this book in such a way that will leave you guessing who the killer is as there are many suspects. It did take me a while and I think I had only just clicked who the killer was as we got to the big reveal. I was drawn in from the beginning and struggled to put the book down. With a fast pace you will be finishing this book before you know it.

Rating 4/5

A clever manuscript which kept me intrigued along the way! Interesting personalities which absorbed me completely!

I came to this book "cold", not having read any of the previous books in the series. The characters seem sympathetic and there's less police procedures here than in books I've read recently.

It's not an overly complicated plot and I'd guessed "who dunnit" at about half way, but it was still fun to listen through to the end, to discover the "why".

I have no doubt I'll be returning to the series to get further involved with this group of people.

The narration was pleasant to listen to, with clear annunciation and enough difference to be able to distinguish characters before they were announced.

Loved the narration of this book by Sid Sagar. I usually hate it when a narrator attempts various accents by this was done so well that it actually improved the reading.
I have read or listened to all the other Alex Pine books in the series and find the writing simply enjoyable. The stories are not taxing (but not boringly simplistic either) and sometimes that is all I want. Pure entertainment.

When I was sent this for review I was unaware it was the third in a series, I was so glad it read easy as a standalone. I was obsessed with this book from the first chapter, the way the book is written gives off James Patterson vibes, and this a compliment as he was the author that made me love the genre. The police force are tough and unyielding, but refreshing as they seem like they really care. The twists in this book had me reading for hours unable to stop needing to know the outcome desperately. The ending of this book shows you can never really trust anyone in these novels. I will definately read the previous novels and everything else he writes.

If you like your cosy Christmas reading with a side of murder, then this is the perfect book for you this winter. The third in the DI James Walker series, sees James once again investigating a murder during the Christmas season. Whilst this is part of a series and does make some reference to the other books, previous knowledge isn't necessary to read this novel.
In this chilling crime thriller, the bloody murder occurs of a young woman at her sister's wedding on the shores of one of Cumbria's plushest hotels. It seems the maid of honour had upset quite a few guests and the suspects are multiple. Someone at the wedding wanted her dead. But who? And why?
The story is brilliantly narrated by Sid Sagar, who also narrated book 2. A pacy and thrilling crime thriller audiobook. #thewinterkiller #Alexpine #netgalley #avonbooksuk #audiobook #dijameswalker

Excellent! A gripping thriller that had me reading into the night - it is true what they say, families can be murder!

Christmas holidays is murder in Cumbria. DI Walker's third outing and for us another good listen/read, plenty of twists and turns that will keep you hooked till the end. Sid Sager narration keeps you focused on the story.
I received this audiobook from HarperCollins audio UK and Netgalley for a review.

The Winter Killer is the third outing to the Lakes with DI James Walker and after enjoying the first two in the series, I was looking forward to catching up with them!

James is enjoying a quiet New Year at home with his wife and baby daughter when he gets a call from a colleague to report a missing person. His colleague DC Abbott is a guest at the wedding of hotel owner Gregg Murphy and he has just married new wife Libby when the brides sister goes missing in suspicious circumstances. When James arrives and starts to investigate, it seems this is anything but a straightforward case.

This story is packed full of twists, turns and lots of suspicious characters to keep you guessing!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. This is the third book in the DI James Walker series but haven’t not read the previous two books, I can confirm it works very well as a standalone.

When one of DI Walker’s team is attending a wedding and one of the guest goes missing he is called in to handle the case. What starts as a simply missing person soon turns into a murder enquiry with many suspects.

I really enjoyed how this case unravelled and the different suspects that popped up. This the first time I’ve come across this team and I really liked how well they worked together. We didn’t have the egos or the backstabbing that has cropped up in other books. It was also refreshing to see a positive stance taken on the relationship between the police and the media.

Like a lot of readers I enjoy playing detective, trying to decipher the red herrings from the real clues and seeing if I can work out who the murderer is. Usually I am way off with my predictions and completely blindsided by the final reveal. That wasn’t the case with this one though. When I reached the half way point I had my thoughts on who was the murderer and couldn’t believe I was right when I got to the end.

I guess that is the reason for my lower rating. For me I like to be led down the garden path and shown how wrong I am in my predictions as it shows me how cleverly the murderer was concealed. Don’t’ get me wrong this is still a fast paced, gripping read that I enjoyed but it needed a little more punch to that final reveal. Would I read more books by Alex Pine? Most definitely!

Great read by Alex Pine as always.

I have read the previous books but believe this is a standalone and you dont need to have read the others to follow this one.

Good narration for my first audio version of Alex Pine which was easy to follow and kept my interest!

More murder mystery than detective work but a great read all the same.

'The Winter Killer' makes a great 'whodunnit' audiobook with a festive feel.

While this book is part of a series, I can testify that it absolutely holds its own as a standalone title.

The story is that of Rachel, maid of honour at her sisters wedding. She fails to make her speech, which in term alerts others to her tragic demise. This event occurs on New Years Eve. One of the wedding guests is a detective who plays a role in solving the crime. In terms of the culprit, certainly did not foresee this - either in terms of the murderer or the motive!

On the basis of this book, I am eager to feast on others in this series! This is a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to those who enjoy listening to a not-too-gruesome whodunit!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.